Roy Williams ties Dean Smith with 879 career wins as Tar Heels hold off Yale
There was a time when Roy Williams probably could not have conceived of having as many victories as Dean Smith.
Eight hundred and seventy-nine wins? No way.
But Williams reached that milestone Monday as North Carolina fought past Yale 70-67 at the Smith Center, the arena named for the late UNC coach and Williams’ one-time mentor.
No. 879 was hard-earned. It also had a late-game scare as UNC freshman guard Anthony Harris injured his right knee driving to the basket with 3:05 left in regulation.
“The only thing I’m thinking about right now is that young man,” Williams said after the game. “He’s just a tough little nut and he’s worked his tail off to get back in this position, and our hopes and prayers are that there’s nothing wrong. But we won’t know until they do all the tests. My team is hurting for him right now.”
The Bulldogs (10-4) pulled within 65-62 before UNC guard Jeremiah Francis, who made his first career start, converted a three-point play with 19.8 seconds left. Francis added another two free throws, but then missed the front-end of a one-and-one at the line with 7.2 seconds left.
The Bulldogs’ Azar Swain, who had 21 points, missed a last-gasp 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.
The Tar Heels (8-5), playing for the first time since beating UCLA on Dec. 21, got a career-high five 3-pointers and 20 points from Brandon Robinson and could finally exhale.
After the game, Williams received a framed photo of Smith and him seated courtside at the Smith Center in recognition of tying Smith for fourth place on the all-time Division I men’s basketball list.
“It’s a number. It means I’ve stayed around a long time,” Williams said.
Williams noted that Smith’s son, Scott, told him his father would have been happy to have Williams match his total.
“I think he would be,” Williams said, blinking back a few tears. “I’ve been very fortunate. I have been able to stay relatively healthy and I’ve had really good kids who made me look good for a long time and I’m very appreciative of them. I’m very appreciative of 32 years of happy times in the locker room, acting silly and doing anything we wanted to do.”
UNC again missed open shots and had rough patches in their play, as they have much of the season and especially with Cole Anthony sidelined after knee surgery.. UNC led 32-28 at the half, shooting 33.3 percent from the field after missed its first seven shots from the field and eight of the first 10.
Yale, the Ivy League champion last season, has an experienced team, a victory at Clemson this season and was not rattled by the big arena or big post-Christmas crowd. The Bulldogs used the clock, patiently ran their offense and scored the first seven points of the second half in taking the lead.
But the Tar Heels maintained their poise and spurred by Robinson’s shooting took a 52-39 lead midway through the second half before Yale made a late push.
The Tar Heels got a boost from Justin Pierce, who made the most of his minutes, scored 14 points and had seven rebounds.
Harris’ injury had Williams huddled around him on the baseline. Harris, who was playing his fifth game of the season, was helped to the locker room. Harris tore his ACL during his senior year of high school in December 2018.
Smith won all 879 games at UNC in a Hall of Fame career that stretched from 1961 to 1997. Williams was an assistant on Smith’s staff from 1978-88 until becoming the head coach at Kansas at age 38. He won 418 games in 15 years at Kansas, and now has 461 victories at UNC.
AND ONE
Jeremiah Francis made his first start of the season for UNC. Williams admires the way the freshman guard competes and his hard work in the weight room in finally being able to play after knee surgeries. Andrew Platek missed the game with a sprained ankle.
LANE VIOLATION
The Bulldogs, outsized at most positions, were a one-and-done team offensively. Yale had one offensive rebound in the game, by Eric Monroe in the first half. The Tar Heels had 15 offensive boards and 14 second-chance points.
ICYMI
Roy Williams passed former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp for fifth on the all-time victory list in UNC’s 78-74 win over Oregon in the Battle 4 Atlantis. That was No. 877. When Dean Smith notched his 877th victory, he became the winningest coach in Division I men’s basketball history. It came in March 1997, when the Tar Heels beat Colorado in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Winston-Salem.
Smith added two more NCAA wins in reaching the Final Four before UNC’s loss to Arizona in the national semifinals. He would retire in October 1997. Smith died Feb. 7, 2015, at age 83.
MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS
36.6 — UNC shot 36.6 percent from the field in the game (26 of 71), continuing a season-long trend.
Five — UNC’s Brandon Robinson hit five of 12 shots from 3-point range, knocking down four in the second half.
This story was originally published December 30, 2019 at 9:19 PM.
